Blunder did not delay the team's chartered flight for their game at Borussia
Monchengladbach

Manuel Pellegrini was forced to take a taxi home from Manchester Airport in order to resolve a passport blunder less than an hour before flying out to Germany for Manchester City’s Champions League clash with Borussia Monchengladbach.

Pellegrini, who will be without six injured players including captain Vincent Kompany for the Group D fixture at Borussia-Park, made the short journey to his Hale home after realising he had arrived on the team bus with the wrong passport.

Pellegrini and Kevin de Bruyne talking at Borussia Park

The Chilean did not delay the team’s departure on the chartered flight to Dusseldorf, but he admitted that his oversight had led to him having to dash back for his correct travel documents.

“It was not important,” Pellegrini said. “I have two passports and I brought the wrong one, so I had to go and get the other one.”

With City suffering a 2-1 home defeat against Juventus in their opening group fixture earlier this month, a failure to bounce back with a victory in Germany would prove damaging to the club’s hopes of reaching the knock-out stages for the third successive season.

City will be without Kompany, who scored their goal against Juventus

And with Monchengladbach returning to Europe’s premier competition for the first since the club’s heyday in the 1970s, Pellegrini admits that the Bundesliga outfit – who have won back-to-back league games under caretaker manager Andre Schubert following the resignation of Lucien Favre – will prove a difficult opponent.

“Of course, Monchengladbach’s motivation is very high,” Pellegrini said. “They did not start the season as they ended the last one, but they have won their last two games, so we know it will be very difficult.